New diagnoses of syphilis in the region have more than doubled in the past five years.

There were 375 new diagnoses of syphilis reported in the Yorkshire and the Humber area in 2016, the largest number of diagnoses reported since 2012.

New research published by Public Health England revealed syphilis diagnoses have risen by 121 per cent since 2012, from 170.

Diagnoses in males are the most frequent - in 2016, there were 341, of which 263 were among gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (MSM) and 54 among heterosexuals.

In the five-year period, the number of infections among MSM has more than doubled from 113, while among heterosexuals numbers have increased by two-thirds, from 32 new diagnoses in 2012.

The incidence of syphilis among women is lower. There were 34 diagnoses in 2016, however, the trend has increased compared to the past, up by 112 per cent from 2012 when there were 16 new diagnosis.

Early symptoms of syphilis usually develop around two or three weeks after infection. If the infection is left untreated, it may cause serious problems such as strokes, blindness, paralysis or death.

Dr Gwenda Hughes, head of STI (Sexually transmitted Infections) section at Public Health England, said: “With a significant increase in syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM) it is vital to make access to condoms and sexual health information as simple as possible.